American Broadcast Network
The '''American Broadcast Network (known as ABN)' ' is an American public broadcasting television network. The company was founded in 1964 succeeding American Television Company, and Champion Television Group. It was run by Sabana-Winston Television Distribution in 1964. Sabana-Winston Television Distribution was rebranded as Sabana American Broadcast Holdings (or SABH) in 1985 until 2014 and is part of the ABN Domestic Television Corporation. SABH recently became rebranded as Champion Digital Broadcasting. It is the de facto member of Sabana Global Broadcast Services (SGBS) representing North America and U.S. Territories. ABN operates the 24-hour motorsports cable network, The Racing Channel (TRC) under the ABN Sports banner. The company also operates the national cable news network, ABN News. ABN.com is the network's primary Internet web page with links to their respected divisions' web pages including TRC3.com, a live interactive web streaming service for out-of-market viewers. ABN's headquarters are located in Seattle, Washington for coverage in the Western United States with a branch campus in Charlotte, North Carolina that covers the Eastern United States. After the construction of the newly erected NASCAR Plaza in downtown Charlotte in 2008, ABN moved to set up the new WABN studios into the new building at 550 South Caldwell Street. Each campus houses the different division of Champion Digital Broadcasting including ABN, ABN Women, ABN Maxx, The Racing Channel, UBC, G-ABN and Mundovision among others. Both campuses also house the ABN Animation Network, Altitude Game Studios, ABN Digital Entertainment and Sabana Global Broadcasting Services. The two campuses each house KABN and WABN for the west and east coast feeds. Due to length limitations in Seattle and Charlotte, two main truck terminals nearby the campuses were built to accomodate them. 50th Anniversary ABN celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2014. As a commemoration of its past five decades of service, ABN reintroduces its 1964 logo design and modernized it with the current ABN block text. The red diamond-blue octagon cross was ABN's first official ident prior to ABN using the full blue oval and diamond cross, commonly known to ABN viewers as simply the "diamond oval". Above, the text reads, "1964-2014: 50 Years of Excellence" with the slogan in between the dates. A similar application is shown for ABN Sports since it launched the same year as ABN itself. Launching ABN in High Definition (720, 1080, 1200 & 1600p Ultra HD) Beginning in 1996, ABN begun launching their experimental 1200Xi XHF (experimental high fidelity) picture format rendering pictures in a 1,200 pixel "letterbox" format and a 1,920 x 1,200 pixel "widescreen" format. The 1200Xi XHF experiment was well received by viewers so much so that ABN began high definition broadcasting in 1997 in 720p resolution. By 2000, programming was upgraded to 1080 and 1200p resolution. Starting in 2015, ABN made television history by becoming the first domestic television network to launch programming in the 1600p Ultra High Definition format. The picture dimensions are 2,560 pixels in width x 1,600 in height, nearly four times the resolution of the standard 1080p making this the most advanced resolution in ABN's history. New Ultra HD studios were built at ABN's Charlotte and Seattle headquarters, The studios officially launched Ultra HD broadcasting in January of 2015. Live ABN programming will air in the 1600p Ultra HD format while all other ABN programming will remain in the native 1080p and 1200p HD formats. The network has phased out the 720p format. As of January 10, 2015, all ABN programming no longer airs in the native 720p format. U.S. Television Realignment of 2015 and its effects The 2015 US TV broadcast realignment consisted of a series of events, primarily affiliation switches between television stations as a result of the launches of the BIG Network and the GBN. Experts say that "it is the worst business decision ever made". 272 major U.S. television affiliates were affected by the realignment, most notably affiliates from ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, compared to the 1994 US TV broadcast realignment. Five ABN stations underwent major affiliation changes. Duly noted are ABN affiliates KANX-TV, KPLB, KOWO, WTQI-TV and WXBX. The U.S. Television Realignment of 2015 is also the most expensive than any realignment period to date. Some experts say that it is costing more than four times of the U.S. Television Realignment of 1994 for these 272 stations to transfer programming to the new affiliation, build new studio sets and purchase new equipment. Expansion 1980 - ABN starts expanding into Holman Union beginning with station BHSNV-TV. 1981 - ABN forms SGBS to distribute programming to 20 countires and territories. 1988 - ABN begins expanding into Dahrconian territory with the first ABN station, DNABE-TV in Starfire City. 1995 - ABN begins high defnition expansion fully implementing HD programming in 1997. 2005 - ABN begins ultra high definition expansion fully implementing Ultra HD programming in 2014. 2008 - ABN goes into full digital HD prgramming one year before the analog to digital transition. 2011 - ABN makes plans to expand into New Tokyo, home of the Pokemon universe beginning in the Kanto region further expanding into the Johto, Sinnoh, Kalos and Unova regions. 2013 - Equestria, Quilava City, Inkopolis, Umi City, Townsville, Torchic City, Hundred Acre Wood, Hyrule all added to ABN's expanding coverage. 2014 - Slobakia, Saniel, Wahnatania Island, 2015 - ABN begins expansion into the Cheyenna Republic. 2016 - ABN begins Hyper HD expansion to be fully implemented in 2017. Notable disputes It is not uncommon for ABN stations to undergo a dispute regarding programming, contracts, and so forth. However, some disputes can cost the staff and management of an ABN station its affiliation. Here are some stations currently in dispute: * WIXE channel 13 in Dixieville, Florida was slated to have ABC Television America programming on the DT2 subchannel, but because ABN and ABC Television America are competitors, WIXE managers won the dispute through a closed-door agreement. No further developments took place. * Kissimmee-St.Cloud station WHSD was slated to switch with PBS on channel 4. However, management has recently told that "we will not risk losing our affiliation and our viewers on channel 4 to this dump of a mainstream public TV station like that of PBS. This is the worst decision on their part to take our channel away, more importantly, take our callsign away. We have been assigned as WHSD since the very beginning and we will fight this to the end regardless of the cost." The current PBS station is on WMXO channel 62. WHSD management met with PBS station management and confirmed its position. WHSD remains on channel 4. * Monster Isle, Townsville (state) station WQQI is disputing a recent development where NBCUniversal was in the planning stages of buying the station. ABN Domestic Television Corporation managers have made several attempts to decline the sale to NBCUniversal but the NBCUniversal management keeps pushing the sale forcing WQQI to switch or lose the building altogether. WQQI management finds the allegations from NBCUniversal management unwaranted and unfounded and would not go to such lengths while attempting to buy a station out. WQQI is still operating and has won the dispute of the NBCUniversal sale of the station. * In 2013, station KWLN in Brea, California, a dispute took place regarding the addition of the ITV Network on one of its subchannels. Due to ABN and ITV being competitors, it was decided that the ITV Network should not be added as a subchannel. It led up to a lawsuit filed by the network of which ABN won judgement and ITV having to pay over $300,000 in legal fees. In the counterclaim of the case "ITV Network vs. ABN Domestic Television Corporation" the DTC claims that the allegations against KWLN management were "fraudulent and ill advised". It was this counterclaim that gave ABN the judgement, but it nearly came at the expense of nearly losing the Brea television market in full. * The PaRappa Saga - ABN Domestic Television Corporation was given a proposal by ABS International in Tokyo, Japan to run PaRappa The Rapper on the network. However, after reviewing the pilot episodes of PaRappa The Rapper, ABN Domestic Television Corporation refused to accept ABS International's proposal to run the production on ABN or ABN Animation Network. Regardless, Liberty City station WLIX and Benton station KCER's DT2 subchannel had already signed a local broadcasting rights contract to air PaRappa The Rapper and were told following ABN Domestic Television Corporation's refusal to run the program not to run it, but the message was sent late and management went forward with running the program. Similar problems occurred when The Day of Anpanman was due to air in the United States. ABN DTC was given a similar proposal to run the program, but likewise refused to run the program on the network due to scheduling conflicts. * Charlotte Riot of 2016 - On September 21st, 2016, a violent protest ensued as a result of an African-American man who was shot by a North Carolina police officer during a traffic stop along a North Carolina highway. The Charlotte Riot of 2016 placed a black mark on ABN as its number two flagship station was caught in the crossfire of the rioters and riot police during the Wednesday night melee which led to WABN being suspended of operations for the first time in its 52 year history by ABN Domestic Television Corporation. As an additional consequence, WABN's cable provider, VividStar, pulled its programming from its services following ABN Domestic Television Corporation's announcement of suspending WABN of its services. Four WABN photographers were injured, 11 WABN writers were also injured, one of the rioters is in critical condition after four WABN employees attacked the rioter. All four have been criminally prosecuted for their role in the combat. It is the second instance of ABN employees caught in the middle of a dangerous riot since the Baltmore Riot of 2015 where several WBRP employees were injured and killed as their station was destroyed. Consequently afterward, WABN was temporarily put on inactive status, the station's transmitter cut off. On October 1st, the station was allowed to return to operations. This undoubtingly has cost ABN and Champion Digital Broadcasting dearly. As reparations, ABN DTC and WABN committed to donating over $10 million dollars to United Way of North Carolina in the cleanup and aftermath of the riots. An additonal $5 million were donated to the NASCAR Hall of Fame to facilitate repairs to the gift shop, which was broken in and looted by the rioters, and recover the artifacts. As of March 2017, another $1 million was donated to the Victory Junction Gang, a special camp founded by the Petty family in honor of their late grandson, Adam who help special needs children with serious illnesses and diseases have the best week of camp with the Petty family and other NASCAR celebrities. Competition with other networks ABN's mainly competes with major and mid-major networks like Hyper Network, CCC, WIN Television America, ABC Television America, United Broadcasting Network, PBC, ITV Network, RBC, RDN, DBC, DBN, MyTV, and Omni Broadcasting Network. There is no direct competition between ABN and other major networks like RKO Network, , , , , , , GBN, , and BIG Network. The network on some occasions will work directly with those who are not among ABN's chief competitors, Kohrumai Broadcasting Company is the latest competitor to ABN. It is located in Portville, Oreconsin, Sovereignty of Dahrconia. As of March 2015, KBC and ABN are now the first two networks to broadcast in 1600p Ultra HD. KBC and ABN made an arbitrary agreement to air programming on KCER channel 42 in Benton, AR becoming a duopoly television station with ABN assuming primary ownership. ABN station WBRP destroyed Baltimore ABN television station WBRP was the unfortunate site of the April 27-May 2 riots as a result of Mr. Freddie Gray who died as a result of a broken spinal column towards his neck area while being transported by Baltimore city police officers. Gray was arrested the week before his death on April 19th in Baltimore, but the legacy of this insurrection is greatly heartfelt. The entire WBRP building was gutted from inside and outside. Equipment was damaged beyond repair. The Ultra HD studio was set ablaze, the newsroom gutted, the digital video archives of over 6,000 news events covered by WBRP over the years now gone without a trace. Several staff members of WBRP were severely injured or killed during the rioting in Baltimore. ABN's closest competitors in the city also were affected by the rioting, looting and civil unrest by several protesters inciting violence, combating police in SWAT and riot gear, damaging 200 small businesses who cannot commence in commercial practice in Baltimore, school children caught in the crosshairs, one mother's desperation to save her son from becoming a part of the miscreants involved in the insurrection, and a desperate motive to find answers. The building suffered significant structural damage and collapsed while firefighters battled the blaze. Nothing from WBRP could be saved. The building located near the area where Mr. Freddie Gray was put into custody was deemed a total loss. Even their digital transmitters from nearby suffered significant structural damage from the rioters. Of the WBRP staff killed as a result of the riots: * Shaniah Walsh, news director, age 28, University of Miami graduate in broadcasting, 4-year Baltimore resident * Christopher Candice, associate news editor, age 55, University of Maryland School of Journalism graduate from 1979, member of the National Association of News Journalists, 20-year Baltimore resident * John Hicks-Wynman, videographer, age 22, University of Maryland School of Journalism graduate from 2011, 7-year Baltimore resident * Fred Tamby, reporter, age 43, University of Montana School of Journalism graduate from 1988, 15-year Baltimore resident * Thomas Trauncy, WBRP station manager, age 61, University of Baltimore-Maryland graduate from 1973, 35-year Baltimore resident * James McFadden, WBRP 6 and 11 PM sportscaster and chief sports editor, University of Massachusetts graduate from 1980, 25-year Baltimore resident Of the WBRP staff injured as a result of the riots, 15 were sent to Baltimore hospitals; the range of injuries include minor to fatal (5 minor, 4 sustainable, 2 fatal). ABN CEO Billy Fortner and Champion Digital Broadcasting COO Taylor Winston shared their thoughts on a May 4th appearance of an ABN News program: Fortner: I am befuddled, shocked beyond any kind of belief, nothing in this kind of circumstance can quell the anger I have for those miscreants who decided it was okay to do this just because they thought the mayor of Baltimore thought it was okay, by which of no means whatsoever it was. This is the darkest days of American history we are witnessing and one of our own working for our affiliate in Baltimore has lost a score of people who were doing their damnest to get out of this no-win situation while covering the riots. The building is completely destroyed, nothing to save, nothing to recover. All there is left of the WBRP building is charred remains, twisted metal, broken concrete, all pieces of a television family now shattered and scarred forever of this sheer lunacy from those people who performed this sort of insurrection in the city of Baltimore. I can't believe this has happened and as a CEO of American Broadcast Network, I dare anyone to find an excuse for this because there is none. Our president said it best. Like him or hate him all you want, but to emphasize his words, "this is not excusable". There is no excuse to be found in this incident and I pray for the people of Baltimore and the state of Maryland to seek the truth! Seek the truth! Not seek opinions. Opinions are what the mainstream media shindigs like Fox News use all the time. We are about the truth! And until they accept the truth, we will continue to bring the truth to the people of Baltimore, Maryland and this whole country as we try to find ways to move forward from this and try to finish the rest of 2015 as peaceful as we can. Several other members of the WBRP staff who were not directly involved had since gone on to work for other nearby stations in Trenton, New Jersey, New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Taylor Winston says we have lost a great television family in Baltimore. The legacy of WBRP is now being carried forward thanks to many of our other fellow stations nearby and far away reaching out to the members of WBRP affected by this tragedy. They were not the result of Mr. Freddie Gray's death. They were not the smoking gun. But they were thrust into a scene of chaos and insurrection and some paid the ultimate price. Those resonsible for the attrocities committed in Baltimore must pay dearly for their crimes against humanity's finest citizens. We will move forward. We're America's Most Trusted Television Leader because we're about the truth, not about the opinions from mainstream news, sports and meteorological media. We seek the one and only truth that the Good Lord from above has shown in years past. We strive to bring the truth to the American people. We urge of you to continue supporting American Broadcast Network as we surge forward into better days ahead. Let us not repeat the examples of these people who performed these cowardess, duplicitous, collective lawlessness leaving the city of Baltimore broken. But we know they will rebuild. We know what we must do. We must do what is humanly possible to continue living our lives in spite of the cringing circumstances before us. This is why we are here. And for Baltimore, we will do what is necessary to raise WBRP back from the brink, but if it cannot be possible, then we must move on and make America find their inner being with the Good Lord above. It is the best that we can do now. '' WBRP viewers were urged to use the hashtag "#WeAreWBRP" in support of rebuilding the station on their social media outlets including FlickTV. While the new station north of the city was built, ABN loaned their Ultra HD production vehicle to WBRP to continue broadcasting during the construction. ABN stations across the country rallied together for a fundraiser event. Proceeds from the ABN Hot Summer Nights Concert Series were utilized in rebuilding WBRP. ABN viewers were urged to visit ABN.com and click "Help WBRP" on the main page. ABN's networks and the Champion Digital Broadcasting team are working together to rebuild what the rioters in Baltimore destroyed. In mid-August, WBRP began their first broadcast from their new studios in northern Baltimore away from the site of the riots. #WeAreRoanoke ABN TV and radio stations in Roanoke, Virginia joined with TV station WDBJ ch. 7, a CBS affiliate serving the Roanoke viewing audience. Two WDBJ employees were shot on August 27, 2015 by an estranged gunman. He later committed a self-inflicted wound ending a deadly police chase following the shootings. ABN issued this statement right after all stations aired their nightscreen programming at 7:00 AM: ''We are deeply saddened to report the loss of two wonderfully skilled TV personalities. They were employees of WDBJ TV channel 7 from Roanoke, Virginia. This station is a CBS affiliate and fellow CBS stations across the country like WDBJ channel 7 are having a difficult time coping with how such a devastating tragedy could happen at a lifetime that's so young, rich, and full of promise. The photographer is Adam Ward and the TV journalist is Allison Parker, two fellow employees of WDBJ channel 7. They were shot while Parker and Ward set up to do a live report during WDBJ's morning newscast on August 27th when the suspect approached Ward and Parker, shot both of them, and sped away. Unfortunately, the suspect also succumbed to his fatal wounds and was found deceased shortly after a deadly police chase just outside of Roanoke, Virginia. It is yet another devastating blow to the television news industry. Several months ago, we at American Broadcast Network lost a number of our own from WBRP while the Freddie Gray riots were ongoing as their station went up in flames. News like this are news we pray never to report to you, but when news like this hits home, we must provide the news in a way that respects the wishes of both parties involved. We at American Broadcast Network and Champion Digital Broadcasting offer our sincerest condolences to the entire WDBJ news team and pray they continue to serve the Roanoke viewing area with all the pride they know how. We send our prayers and our deepest thoughts to the families of Allison Parker and Adam Ward. We urge our ABN viewers across the country to visit our social media sites and use the hash tag "#WeAreRoanoke". We wish the viewers, the staff and management of WDBJ the very best as the station begins a long and arduous healing period. It hurts all of us to lose even one member of our own family, yet alone two from our extended television news family. But we will overcome and pray for the Good Lord above us to bring into light what we must accomplish for His namesake, and the sake of Roanoke, Virginia. We at ABN wish the staff and management of WDBJ channel 7 and the CBS family God Speed and safe journeys as they continue to serve Roanoke. Thank you. Over the past 24 hours since this message appeared, ABN viewers began pouring in prayers of support on WDBJ's social media pages. ABN's own affiliate in Roanoke, Virginia during their Sunrise Roanoke program held a candlelight vigil for the fallen WDBJ employees. The final ABN Hot Summer Nights Outdoor Concert Series show which was held in Roanoke, Virginia decided to postpone the final performances until September 3. In memory of the WDBJ employees, fans in Roanoke were asked to hold up flashlights as stagehands turned all the stage lights off in a memorial of silence. The band Six Degrees came to the stage as lead singer, Billy Haymen, recited a line echoed by the words of Ronald Regan when he announced the passing of seven astronauts bound to begin space shuttle mission STS-51L carried out with the launch of Challenger back in 1986. Haymen says "Though we do not know why, nor can comprehend the magnitude of this tragedy, we must not forget one thing. For Adam and Allison, they now have reached out to soar past the surely bonds of Earth entering Heaven's gateway to touch the hand of God. They are no longer here, but in His good hands. We cannot fathom nor begin attempting to understand this tragedy without preparing our hearts and our minds. We beg for the hand of God to be upon us all as we stand here on this consecrated ground in memory of our fallen loved ones." Reviving KCER-TV The Benton TV station was plagued with difficulty over the years due to low ratings, poor management practices and the loss of three affiliates within the 30 years the station has been in operation, Kohrumai Broadcasting Company, ABN, CER2 Digital Networks and the ABN Domestic Television Corporation made an arbitrary agreement allowing dual ownership of the failing Benton, Arkansas TV station. KBC CEO Randy Webb and ABN CEO Billy Fortner came to a mutual agreement allowing the dual-affiliation to take place. KBC began the acquisition process on March 28, ABN was not originally intended to purchase KCER. But due to the removal of KCER's previous CEO, ABN was forced to drop out of the potential sale of KSPA channel 30 as part of the bargaining process that ABN instead gets KCER with Kohrumai as the first dual-affiliate in ABN's history. The Strike of 2012 Suffering a similar chain of strikes like that of their minor competitor, the Rainbow Dash Network, ABN was plagued with similar strikes. Possibly one of the most notable events for ABN was a 1 month industrial dispute in 2012, which led to the subsequent shutdown of several ABN affiliates, broadcasts, and productions. This shutdown and the dispute lasted from September 3 , 2012 until October 22, 2012. Trouble first occurred at New York City's WNYC when electricians refused to accept, what they considered, a derisory pay increase. Management attempted to operate a normal service but other transmission staff refused to co-operate. An order by the union was given to cease the strike or be terminated. Some managed to follow the protocol, others did not and had lost an exorbitant amount of funds while losing pay benefits in the process. Viewers were greeted with blank television screens on the morning of September 3 and 4 of 2012, and were left without regular programs, most importantly various lifestyle, news, weather, and sporting events. The strike ended with victory for the unions in a dispute estimated to have cost ABN $495 million in lost revenue. It is the most expendable in ABN's history since the 1982 strike which cost the company $144 million in lost revenue. Several stations almost lost ABN affiliation and threatened to switch affiliations during the strike. Finally, after the settlement was paid, programming resumed at 6:00 am on October 30, 2012. Returning viewers were greeted with a new jingle, "Go Beyond". When the strike ended, ABN was greeted the daunting task of luring back viewers from other stations. This proved difficult as production of original programming had stopped and wouldn't even be available for several months; ABN consequently as a result of the strike and dispute suffered in the ratings at the hands of other stations. Two and a half months after ABN began broadcasting again, it was finally ready to air additional original programming and viewers began switching back. This is by far the worst strike in the history of American Broadcast Network and the Champion Digital Broadcasting company. Programming Specials * ABN Classics 'NEW!' * ABN Hot Summer Nights * ABN's American Thanksgiving * A Loli-Rockin' Christmas! 'NEW!' * ABN Rockin' New Eve ''(New Year's Eve show) Sitcoms *''66 Rock '| RENEWED FOR 2018-2020 SEASONS *''Ashley ''| RENEWED FOR 2018-2020 SEASONS *''My Super Dooper Crazy Life | ''GOING TO FULL SYNDICATION AFTER SUMMER 2017 *''Everybody Knows Billy ''| GOING TO FULL SYNDICATION AFTER SUMMER 2017 *''Jesse and JJ'' *''Hot In SoCal'' *''60 Seconds to Mercury'' *''Scrubbers'' *''Jet City | ''GOING TO FULL SYNDICATION AFTER FALL 2017 *''Montana Exposure (modeled after ''Northern Exposure) | NEW! *''Mr. Beaver's Neighborhood | ''NEW! *''Audrie (think ''Maude but in a much modern sense) NEW! *''Jack of Spades | ''NEW! *''Alanland | ''NEW! *''The Kevin Duke Show | ''NEW, PURCHASED FOR SYNDICATION (from Import Network) Current Game Shows/Future Game Shows *''Second Chance'' (ABN Digital Entertainment/Fremantle Media) - based on CBS's Press Your Luck and its ABC predecessor using a hybrid of PYL and Game Show's Whammy! elements instead of the original ABC format. Originally created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormick, the people behind the successor, Press Your Luck, it was originally hosted by Jim Peck on ABC between March and July 1977, later placed into syndication in 1993 and hosted by Kathy Lee Gifford (mostly known as co-host of Regis and Kathy Lee), then revived in 1997 after settling a rights dispute. It is now hosted by Tom Slater with Tyler Derek (mostly known for narrating Most Shocking, Top 20 Most Shocking and Most Daring) announcing. It runs on weekday mornings Monday through Friday following Sunrise America. *''Ultra Password'' (ABN Digital Entertainment/Fremantle Media) - it is the fourth evolution of the original Password ''game show which aired during the late 1960's to early 1970's originally hosted by Alan Ludden. It marries together the formats of ''Password ''and the short 13-episode ''Million Dollar Password with the final round of said title. Like the other three, a pair of celebrities and contestants try to guess what the password is using one-word clues. But instead of using the 10 points to 1 point countdown format like the others, each correctly guessed password is $1,000 with subsequent correct guesses up to $5,000. The winning team at the end of each round plays the "Blitz" round, which is a new format that follows the original Lightning round. The team could win up to $5,000 in the first half, and $10,000 in the second half with five correct guesses. The team with the highest score enters the Million Dollar Password round. Hosted by J.B. Dallas of XR Hollywood Tonite. *''Ultra GUTS (Paramount Television/ABN Digital Entertainment/RKO Television Studios, distributed by RKO Television Distribution) - a total rework of the classic Nickelodeon kids sports entertainment show ''GUTS which is taped at ABN Digital Entertainment Studios in Charlotte, NC, co-produced by Paramount Television and RKO Television Studios and distributed by RKO Television Distribution. It is hosted by Serena Bacherro, mostly known for her former auto racing career, but since dabbled in television on and off during the time she was in stock car racing until retiring in 2014 to focus on her full-time role hosting the show. *''The Gauntlet (ABN Digital Entertainment) - based on Family Channel's ''Masters of the Maze, The Gauntlet is the second evolution of MOTM. Teams of three are quizzed on a variety of topics based on the ones chosen by the production team for each day it airs. One day, contestants could be quizzed on world affairs. The next, another set could be quizzed on ecology, and so forth. The show is split into two segments. Winners of each segment compete in the "Time Blitz" round in the abbreviated maze. The team with the fastest time from either segment wins and competes in the final round traversing the entire gauntlet in hopes for prizes. Hosted by Ronaldo Mendoza and narrated by Jim Cuppling. *''Ultra[[Ultra Puzzlers| ''Puzzlers]] (ABN Digital Entertainment/Fremantle Media) - based on Fremantle's Puzzlers, Puzzlers Plus ''was originally produced by Mark Goodson Productions that never saw airtime on network television until the revival of ''Puzzlers in 2000 by ABN Domestic Television Productions. It was revived again in 2015 as Ultra Puzzlers. It is hosted by Vince Laverty, Jr, son of Late Show with Vince Laverty host, Vince Laverty, Sr. with Stacy Keach (mostly known for narrating World's Most Amazing Videos) performing announcing duties. *''Ultra Pyramid (SMAC Entertainment/Sony Pictures Television/ABN Domestic Television Corporation) - it is the sixth evolution of the 1973 game show with a top value of $1 million. It follows the format of ABC's ''The $100,000 Pyramid hosted by Michael Strahan, former football player-turned-entertainer. ABN's Ultra Pyramid is hosted by Michelle Clayson, the first female host of the show since its debut in 2016. *''The Jewel Match Game'' (ABN Digital Entertainment) - this is another puzzle game where contestants match at least three jewels of a selected color. The colors are Crystal ($100,000), Pearl ($75,000), Saphire ($50,000), Indigo ($25,000), Pink ($10,000 jewel) Garnet ($7,500), Orange ($5,000), Yellow ($2,500), Bright Green ($1,000), Aqua ($750), Turquoise ($500). It is hosted by Hammer Lewis with Rose Leigh-Marshall announcing. *''Break the Bank'' (Sony Pictures Television/DuMont Television Studios/ABN Digital Entertainment) - the first revival of the original 1976 ABC game show, Break the Bank, the 2011 revival of the show by ABN in conjunction with Sony and DuMont is hosted by Tony Little and announced by Keith Powell. Break the Bank ''serves as the primetime gameshow on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM EST. It is the #2 game show behind daytime program, ''Ultra GUTS. *''Ultra Bullseye (ABN Digital Entertainment/Sony Pictures Television) - Ultra Bullseye is the second evolution of the original 1980 game show created by Barry & Enright for NBC. The original show ran from 1980 to 1982, syndicated on the USA Network between 1985 to 1987 and on Game Show Network as recently as 2007 during a "Viewers Choice" marathon. Ultra Bullseye serves as the Sunday night primetime game show. If a sporting event precedes it, it is moved to Wednesday night at 7:00 EST. *Hot Potato (ABN Digital Entertainment/Sony Pictures Television) - ''Hot Potato was originally the last show produced by Barry & Enright for NBC between January and June 1984, later syndicated in 2011, revived again in 2015 under the umbrella of ABN Digital Entertainment. The show retains the original game format of the 1984 game show with the Celebrity Hot Potato and Hot Potato Tournament of Champions ''specials airing on occasion. The show is hosted by John Lopez and announced by Michael Barke. It serves as the second daytime gameshow following ''Second Chance. Daytime Talk Shows * Kaylah (The Kaylah Higgins Show) 'NEW!' News and Documentary Programs *''ABN Evening News'' (nightly news program) *''Sunrise America'' (morning news program) *''America 360 (news documentary program) *''ABN News Sunday Edition *''ABN Unsolved Mysteries | ''NEW! Drama *''CSI Liberty City'' *''CSI Las Venturas'' *''NAVY NCIS Rockport City'' *''Kingpin'' *''Seekers'' *''Rogue Agents'' *''Cross'' *''Vanessa and Vittel'' *''City of Devils'' *''Hawkeye'' *Centurions | NEW! *''The Dark '''| 'NEW!' Late night comedies *''Late Show with Vince Laverty'' *''The Midnight Show with Bruce Simms'' *''The Dave Callahan Show ''NEW! Soap operas *''Timeless'' *''The Bold Americans'' *''The Journey'' *''Code Black: Extreme ER'' *''My Family'' *''Saints of Carcer'' (based in Carcer City, Liberty State) *''Love Riders'' Syndicated lifestyle shows *''Grille City USA (food culture and cooking) *''XR Hollywood Tonite ''(entertainment news) *''The Digital Movie Theater ''(film and box office news) *''The Muscle Car Temple ''(automotive lifestyle) *''Home Transformation ''(home makeover/remodel/decoration) *''Pop City ''(music and lifestyle news program) *''Flippers (loosely based on Pimp My Ride) *''U Style Makeover Extreme'' (distrubuted by U Style Entertainment) (styling and fashion) *''Fast Line'' (racing show) Syndicated courtroom shows * Lance Norton * Hatchet * Judge Lucy Lopez * America's Court ''(no correlation to the courtroom show ''The People's Court) List of ABN network affilliated stations See List of ABN affilliates Slogans These are the slogans over the years that ABN has been on the air. *''The Newest Television Network in the Country'' (1964-1965) *''We Are American Broadcast Network'' (1965-1966) *''Proud to be Your Network'' (1966-1967) *''The Best Memories Are Made on ABN'' (1967-1968) *''You Are #1 to Us!'' (1968-1969) *''Look No Further than ABN'' (1969-1970) *''The Number One Television Network in America'' (1970-1971) *''America Loves Watching ABN (1971-1972) *''Excellence in Television ''(1972-1973) *''Still the One to Watch (1973-1974) *''We're the One Worth Watching (1974-1976) (came with four different jingles) *''ABN Television Network: We Are Here For You (1976-1977) *''ABN: You're In For Something'' (1977-1978) *''ABN: America Turns Us On'' (1978-1979) *''Expect Nothing But the Best on ABN'' (1979-1980) *''ABN: We Are Television'' (1980-1981) * Watch Great Things Unfold ''(1982-1983) *''ABN: Watch What We're Doing Now (1983-1984) *''Share the Spirit of ABN (1984-1985) *''ABN is America's Network ''(1985-1986) *''Great Things Are Happening on ABN (1986-1987) *''ABN: America's #1 Television Network (1987-1988) *''ABN: 25 Years of Service and Still Going Strong (1988-1989) *''The Stars Shine Bright on ABN'' (1990-1991) *''This Is What Moves You'' (1992-1993) *''See It. Feel It. Live It.'' (1993-1994) *''ABN. We're More than Just Television (1994-1995) *''ABN. Cool Like Us ''(1995-1996) *''Something Exciting Is Happening on ABN (1996-1997) *''America's Number One Network (1997-1998) *''Come Home to America's Best Only on ABN ''(1998-1999) *''ABN High Definition: Television of the Next Millennium (1999-2000) *''ABN: The Pulse of America'' (January 1-September 10, 2001) *''ABN: Let's Roll! (following the 9/11 attacks from September 15 - December 31, 2001) *''This is ABN (2002-2003) *''ABN: One for All'' (Special slogan used in September 2002) *''ABN is All About You'' (2003-2004) *''You're Gonna Love This!'' (2005-2006) *''The Best Is On ABN'' (2006-2007) *''The Difference Is ABN'' (2008-2009) *''Watch What We Do on ABN'' (2009-2010) *''ABN Is the Place to Be'' (2010-2011) *''Entice Yourself'' (2011-2012) *''Go Beyond'' (2012-2013) *''The Next Best Thing is ABN'' (2013-2014) * ABN: 50 Years of Excellence ''(2014-2015) * ''America's Most Trusted Television Leader ''(2015-2016) * ''America's Ultra HD Leader ''(2016-2017) * ''ABN: Your Number One Ultra HD Network ''(2017-xxxx) Jingles These are the jingles that aired on ABN over the years. 'You Are #1 to Us' ''ABN. ABN. You are number one to us! We bring you cheer! We bring you laughter! We excite you on your brightest days! No matter the task, ABN is here for you! You are number one to us (on ABN)! ''(repeat twice) ''You are Number One...on ABN! 'America Turns Us On' Come one, come all! '' ''You know it's us when America turns us on! You feel the passion! You see the joy! So come on! What'cha waitn' for? Turn us on! We are ABN! America turns us on! America turns us on! For the best, for the brightest stars! It's here on ABN! So turn us on! 'See It, Feel It, Live It' I can see you move. I can feel your love. I'm livin' it up! See what's on! Feel the magic! Live it up! See it! Feel it! Live it! ABN! Logo timeline ABN1a_retro1.png|Logo used between 1964 to 1982. This is the longest running logo design since ABN's inception. The first diamond octagon cross design featured a red diamond and blue octagon and laser-cut lower case letters. This was the first ever design used in the post-Champion Television Group era. ABN1a_retro2.png|Logo used between 1982 to 1987. The first ever diamond oval cross design phasing out the red-diamond blue-octagon cross design. The call letters were switched from lower case to upper case upon the 1982-1983 television season. ABN1a_retro3.png|Logo used between 1987 to 1995. The diamond oval cross design looks a bit more fat than the 1982-1987 design. Bold block lettering was used for the "ABN" call letters. ABN1a_retro4.png|Logo used between 1995 to 2006. The diamond oval cross is slightly altered in size with a new typeface for the "ABN" block letters. The difference is seen with the letter "N" with angled corners instead of square corners like the 1987-1995 logo. ABN1a.png|Logo used since 2007. It is a modification of the 1996-2006 design with the logo being given a three-dimensional look retaining the block letters used since 1995. ABNConcept1.png|This first proposal is a nod to the WGBH logo. It was first used in the early 1980's promotion ads and some station idents used this style. It will be revealed with a slogan in 2015 for fans to vote on. ABN1c.png|This is one of five proposed ABN logos for Q1 2015. This proposed logo was #2 of 5 and was the best choice. The logo harkens the 1964 logo but keeps the diamond oval cross design with the diamond being red while the oval retains the ABN blue it has used. The ABN block lettering is newer in this version replacing the current Faktos typefacing. It will be revealed along with a new slogan for Q1 2015. ABNConcept3.png|This concept was proposed by ABN viewers through a contest held in September. The lower case "A" has the oval, the lower case "B" has the diamond. It is reminescent of a very early 1962 proposal before Champion Television Network became ABN but did not incorporate the diamond, octagon, or oval cross design until 1963. ABNConcept4.png|This is the fourth proposed logo for Q1 2015. It is a departure of the diamond oval cross ensign. Two ribbons form an L shape elbow around the ouside. The blue is darker than the blue currently used. This will be revealed along with a slogan in 2015. ABNConcept5.png|This is ABN's fifth and last proposed logo for 2015 for fans to vote on along with a new slogan. The logo takes on a "global" approach with a red to blue sphere and the "ABN" letters at the bottom. The logo resembles one currently used by Sudamericana Servicios de Television in Brazil with this design in yellow and green colors. ABN 2007 Proposal 12.png|No. 12 logo proposal for 2007: cascading ABN logo with the slogan "America's Leading Broadcaster" ABN 2007 Proposal 11.png|No. 11 logo proposal for 2007: the "double-eye". The proposal was rejected because it looks too similar to the ATV logo. ABN 2007 Proposal 10.png|No. 10 proposal for 2007: neon ABC effect. One end of the letter starts with blue then transitions to red at the end of each letter. The logo uses the slogan "Playing Favorites". The proposal was not widely accepted and was later rejected. ABN 2007 Proposal 9.png|No. 9 logo proposal for 2007: the "gemstone" effect after acquiring Gemstone Media Properties. It uses the slogan "Let's Get Together". While this proposal wasn't rejected per se, it was purposed for one of ABN Digital Entertainment's game development divisions. ABN 2007 Proposal 8.png|No. 8 proposal for 2007: A definite rejection by all accounts by the SABH top brass. To the credit of the creator, this was used in "This is ABN" network promotions and was used as a special Halloween promotion. ABN 2007 Proposal 7.png|No. 7 logo proposal for 2007: It was not the best, but it gave SABH top brass an ideal place for this logo. It was utilized by their music label division, Alpine Entertainment Group until its merger with ABN Digital Entertainment. It uses the slogan, "The Network You Can Always Trust". ABN 2007 Proposal 6.png|No. 6 logo proposal for 2007: Embossed "Big A" effect. It became one of the three finalist logos chosen by the SABH top brass in a 2007 "Choose ABN's Next Logo" contest. While it was not a winner, the embossed "A" was put in a logo archive for future usage to the credit of its creator. ABN 2007 Proposal 5.png|No 5. logo proposal for 2007: the beacon effect. The upper case "A" depicts a lighthouse building structure with the "B N" shooting outward from the light. It uses the slogan "America's Beacon for Quality Programming". It was not widely popular in the final voting process. The beacon would be used in future network promos, but with an actual light beam instead of the letters B and N acting as the beam. ABN 2007 Proposal 4.png|No. 4 logo proposal for 2007: Leader of TV. It was the third highest voted logo proposal out of three chosen in the final voting process. It is now being utilized for a newer ABN logo coming in 2015 and a rebranding of SABH as "Champion Digital Broadcasting" which resurects the Champion name from the company that gave birth to ABN and SABH, Champion Television Group. ABN 2007 Proposal 3.png|No. 3 logo proposal for 2007: Fishing for something new. This logo sparked a bit of controversy with various religious leaders in 2007 of which they claim it is too close of a similarity to the "Jesus fish". Under hefty scrutiny, SABH dropped this proposal, but kept the "Every Day is Something New" slogan proposal for future use. ABN 2007 Proposal 1.png|No. 2 logo proposal for 2007: Discovering something new. A sun-and-moon concept that reflects the 24-hour broadcasting nature of the network. This did not end up as a finalist logo. It was purpossed for ABN's Sunday morning news and information program that is still used to this day. ABN 2007 Proposal 2.png|No. 1 logo proposal from 2007: The Best. This became the official logo from 2007 to present. It is being phased out for an upcoming logo for 2015. ABN17.png|The officially new 2015 ABN logo combining the two proposals from 2007 and 2014. The new slogan is "America's Most Trusted Television Leader". For the first time, the ABN block letter is put to the side so to not obscure the middle element. The logo brings back the red and blue color schemes used in the 1964 logo. Notable TV idents ABN_ID_1970.png|1970 ident when it was owned by Sabana-Winston Television Distribution ABN_ID_1980.png|1980 ABN network ident ABN_ID_1982.png|1982 "We Are Television" ABN ID 1983.png|1983 "Watch What We're Doing Now!" ABN_ID_1984.png|1984 "Share the Spirit (of ABN)" ABN_ID_1986.png|1986 "America's Network" ABN_ID_2001.png|2001 "Let's Roll" following the September 11th terrorist attacks. ABN_ID_2011.png|2011 "Entice Yourself" ABN_ID_2012.png|2012 "Go Beyond" ABN_ID_2013.png|2013 "The Next Best Thing is ABN" ABN_ID_2014.png|2014 "50th Anniversary" with floating ABN logos of the past. ABN_ID_2015.png|2015 "ABN Now in Ultra HD" ABN_ID_2015 b.png|2015 "America's Most Trusted Television Leader" ABN ID 2017.png|2017 "Your Number One Ultra HD Leader" ABN ID 2017 special.png|Special 75th Anniversary edition ident for Champion Digital Broadcasting's 75th Anniversary Miscellaneous ABN_eas_screen.png|An Emergency Alert System message screen that alerts viewers that an ABN station has activated the EAS at the request of law enforcement, weather bureaus, or other government entities. ABN_tech_problem.png|If an ABN stations runs into technical difficulties, this screen will appear with a red background. ABN_station_dispute.png|If an ABN station is having programming disputes, this message will appear and viewers will not be able to watch ABN programming on the station the dispute is taking place. The message assures viewers that the station managers will do everything possible to resolve the matter and return to station operations once it is settled. ABN_tech_problem_corrected.png|ABN viewers will see a green message screen which tells them that the technical difficulties were corrected and programming is resuming. ABN_station_dispute_resolved.png|This screen will appear alerting viewers that the programming dispute has been resolved also noting that programming is resuming and station operations are back underway. ABN_tv_ratings.png|Each TV program rating from Y to MA are color coded. A message screen will appear with this rating stating that the program is rated a certain level based on the allowable content per FCC and ABN atandards. american_broadcast_network_ultra_custom_tv_production_rig.png|ABN's Ultra HD custom television production vehicle american_broadcast_network_c-band_satellite_rig.png|ABN's C-Band satellite transporter Current Fall/Winter 2017/2018 Primetime Schedule Category:Fictional television networks Category:Seattle Category:Washington (state) Category:Charlotte, NC Category:North Carolina Category:Fictional major networks